Life Without Bread
by Allium Banner
Summary: This is a little story about what it would be like if Katniss never recieved that bread so many years ago, not because Peeta's not in love with her anymore, but because he grew up in the Seam and Gale grew up selling bread. Mild amount of flash backs. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_The mines collapsed today. My mom, Prim and I are standing outside of the mines as they pull men up; coughing and sneezing. Every time a man is pulled out I get a fleeting feeling in my stomach...I'm hoping one is my father. He has to be alive. _

_Just then, the Mellarks come up next to us. Mrs. Mellark, Patty, has a hard face on, like stone. I look at the three boys and the two older ones, Ky and Turner and staring at the wreck just like their mother, but Peeta, who's 10 like me, and my best friend, is staring at me with sad eyes. _

_"What's going on?" He asks me._

_I don't really know. All I know is that I'm scared because my mom is scared and I haven't seen my dad come out of the mines yet. _

_An hour later we're all sitting around the table in my little house. My mother keeps crying, until she gets up to excuse herself to her room. Now it's just Mrs. Mellark, her three boys, Prim and I. _

_"Well boys it's time to go home," Mrs. Mellark says kind of abruptly._

_"Wait mom. Can I stay with Katniss?" asks Peeta. We'd had sleepovers before. I mean we're only 10, but his mom starts to get annoyed, shakes her head, and points at the door. Peeta looks at me with sad eyes while he retreats behind his brothers._

_"I'll be fine. Bye Peeta."_

_That night Prim and I sleep cuddled together in our bed._

Present Time

I wake up and look next to me to see Prim sleeping soundly next to me. It makes me smile, until my stomach growls. I don't know why it does that. I'm always hungry; my stomach will never have enough food, so why doesn't it just learn to deal with it? I have. Then I remember that day, about a week after my father died when I was digging through the town's peoples' garbages...

_I'm approaching the backyard of the bakery. I can't take it anymore. My stomach threatens to collapse and I want to just lye down on the ground and forget about everything...but I've got to make it. Just a few more feet. The garbage stands in front of me. I know I shouldn't be doing this, but my father shouldn't have died and I shouldn't be starving, so I take off the lid and begin to dig through it when I hear talking coming from the bakery. "What's that noise?" I hear a woman say. _

_I freeze and look up to see a boy's head peek out of the window and looking right at me. "Just some girl digging through our trash."_

_"Oh poor girl, well it's just garbage to us anyways. She can have all she needs."_

_That's permission, right? So I take half of a moldy loaf of bread, and some other things from the trash that at least look a little bit like food._

Present Day

I remember when I came home that night, with my hands full and my mother looked at the food disgusted, but we all ate it because it was all we had. After about a week I took Peeta with me to the bakery garbage and we both took just a little bit. This continued for two years until I became 12 and remembered something my father taught me...

_Prim and I were lying in the meadow, staring up at the sky, when I start to stare at the forest. "Hey, Prim, do you remember when dad use to take us into the forest?"_

_"You mean you? I was too young."_

_"Oh. Yah. Well he taught me how to hunt and gather. I think I can remember a lot of it. The major plants at least, and I remember where dad would keep his bow and arrows. They'd probably still be ok for me to use for a bit, but then I'll need to make my own..."_

_"Wait. Katniss, you're not thinking of...?"_

_"It's our only choice Prim. We can't keep living out of the Baker's garbage, even if we do get at least one decent meal a day at school now. It's not enough."_

_"But Katniss it's dangerous!" In a quiet voice she adds "and illegal."_

_"Prim it's our only choice!" With that I get up and start to look for the opening in the bottom of the fence my dad found so many years ago. It doesn't take that long, then I listen for the sound of electricity and when I don't hear it I slide under and run into the woods._

Present Day

Today isn't my usual hunting day, but I figured since tomorrow is the reaping I mine as well head out today. That and if I don't get enough for mine and Peeta's family today I'll have to go back tomorrow. A feast for two families requires a lot of work for one person, so I put on my one pair of clothes, lace up my boots, grab my game sack and sneak out the front door.

Since I've started hunting my family hasn't been as bad off, but I need to find food for both mine and Peeta's family, and still get some to sell for other things we need all by myself. Peeta's tried to help me, but he usually just gets in the way, so I leave him behind now when I go hunting.

A few hours later I've got a wild turkey and a bushel of berries and other herbs in my sack. I probably could come back with more if I knew how to set a decent trap, but every time I try it either snaps or the animal just walks away. I head back early because even though it's the day before the reaping I still have school today, so I go home to put away my game and clean up a bit, not that it'll make much of a difference.

When I get home I see Peeta sitting at my kitchen table kind of awkwardly since everyone else is still asleep. It makes me smile, and when he sees me smile he smiles back. I don't care if Peeta is pretty useless when it comes to getting food for our families; he's the only person besides Prim that can make me smile and since we started dating after our first kiss in the meadow a few weeks ago I've been doing a lot more smiling.

"I love it when you smile," he walks up to me as he says this and gently kisses my nose, which just makes me smile more.

"I should probably go wake up Prim, then we can get going after I clean up. I also found some berries this morning that we can eat for breakfast."

"Clean up?"

"I know it's useless, but-"

"No, I mean I don't think you need to. You're already so pretty even with all that dirt on your pants."

"Oh come on now Peeta. No matter what you think I'm still a Seam girl, don't go pretending I'm something I'm not."

"I'm not the only one who says it."

"Who? Berni from science class last year who lives in town? Hardly. He was just trying to get in my pants."

"Katniss!"

"What? It's not like you haven't thought about it!" with this Peeta starts to bite his bottom lip and looks at his shoes nervously, "Peeta!"

"What? You said it, not me."

I roll my eyes and go in to Prim and mine's room to wake her up. When I know she's conscience I go back into the main room, grab some berries from the bag and pull Peeta out of my house.

"Why are we leaving so early?" he asks.

"I thought you might want to stop and smell the roses?" I smile at him.

"There's only one flower I want to smell," and he takes out my messy hair, ruffles it and smells me so that his lips are close to my neck, "Hey, you never did clean up."

"Oh how could I have forgotten? And now my hair's messed up even more!"

"I like your hair down. We can go ask Berni what he thinks." I shove him and we continue to walk to school hand in hand.

When we get to school Peeta and I walk in still holding hands. The halls are still pretty empty since it's still really early.

"Do you want to just hang out by my locker until school starts?" Peeta asks me.

"Sure. I just need to drop my stuff off at my locker and go to the bathroom. I'll meet you at your locker."

"Ok. See you soon," he kisses me on my cheek and leaves. Suddenly I catch someone standing and watching in the closest corner.

"What? Never seen a couple before?"

"Not a happy couple from the Seam," as he walks out towards me I recognize him as Gale Hawthorne, the Baker's boy who I saw in the window that night I dug in his garbage so many years ago. I start to get really embarrassed all of the sudden and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear as I look at the ground. Gale's the only person besides mine and Peeta's family who knows that I use to dig in the garbage to find food.

"There-there's plenty of happy Seam couples. Just because we don't live high and mighty doesn't mean we can't be happy. Besides who said Peeta and I were happy?"

"Who says town's people live so much better?"

"It's just a given."

"Oh really is it now?"

"Yes. Look I don't want to fight over who has the worse life, so why don't you just tell me why you decided to talk to me in the first place so I can go do what I have to do."

"Who says I had anything in particular to talk about," he stares at me with his deep dark eyes as he says this and I have to force myself to look away.

"Well if you have nothing to talk to me about, then I'll be on my way," I turn and walk away, perfectly aware that he's still staring at me.

After I drop of my books and go to the bathroom I find Peeta at his locker, doodling on a piece of paper. He always enjoys drawing.

"Hey artist."

He turns around and smiles when he notices me, "Katniss! Finally, I started to think you drowned in the toilet."

I chuckle and then my face becomes serious, "Gale Hawthorne talked to me."

"Gale? Why? Do you know him?" I can immediately see the wheels in Peeta's brain starting to work. Gale is one of the most popular and good looking guys in the school. Not that I really care, I have Peeta.

"Not really, I mean he's what one, two years older than us? And he lives in town. I have no reason to talk to him."

"But...did you use to? You now when...?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The bakery..." I'm starting to get annoyed and I know Peeta knows he's treading on tough ground.

"Peeta, I told you. No one at the bakery ever acknowledged me and I never said anything to them. The garbage just got us by until I was old enough to hunt. "

"Yes, but..."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," then I see Prim, so thankful for a distraction, I call her over, "Prim!"

She skips on over, smiling, "Katniss! Peeta! Thanks for the berries. They tasted really fresh!"

"Well I did go out this morning."

"Katniss! But there's school! You'll be too tired!"

"Today's the day before the reaping, nobody cares, and today doesn't even really matter. Especially if I get chosen, then no more homework for me!" I say with mock excitement.

Both Prim and Peeta stare at me with both shock and anger on their faces.

"Katniss," Peeta starts, "That's nothing to joke about, what if-"

"No what ifs, I mean what are the chances of either of us getting chosen anyways? Come on, let's go to class." Peeta and I walk together to English class; even though I have no idea why we need to learn how to write when most of us will just be working in the mines when we're older. I always dread that day to come, since Peeta hasn't been hardened yet by the death of his father or his life in the Seam, so I'm afraid that working in the mines will finally break him and he'll no longer be my Peeta.

After school Peeta, Prim, and I meet up and start to walk back to the Seam together. Peeta's brothers don't walk with us anymore since they think being seen with their little brother and his friends would be a hit to their reputations. Peeta always says "What reputations?" When they say this, but Ky and Turner are some of the most liked Seam guys, at least that I know of, but I'm not really into gossip much especially when it comes from girls. I don't really mind anyways, it's quieter with just the three of us.

Peeta and Prim are talking about something, but I'm not really paying attention, especially as we approach the meadow and I start to drift towards it in a trance. The only thing holding me back is Peeta's hand. I turn to face him when he stops.

"Want to go to the meadow?" he asks me with a questioning face, and I want to say yes, but my eyes glance to Prim and just as I'm about to say that we should drop her off she says.

"See you guys at home, bye!" and she's gone.

Now that Prim's gone I pull Peeta along into the Meadow and then pull him down to the ground so that we're both lying in the tall grasses. When Peeta is settled, he pulls me over so that my head is lying on his chest and his arm is wrapped around me, supporting my head.

I look up at him and then say, "Do you ever wonder what would happen if you were chosen for the Games?"

"Every year, around this time. Why are you thinking so much about the Games this year?"

"I don't know...I just can't get it out of my mind...almost like a sign..."

"Hey no talking like that."

"Please Peeta. I don't know what it is, but I need to talk about this. That's why I wanted to come here, and it calms me."

"Ok, so what exactly do you want to know?"

"What do you think would happen here at home if you were chosen?"

Peeta's quiet for a while as he thinks about the question, "I've actually thought about that a lot...every time I think about the games...and every time I come up with the same answer…nothing. My mom would just think it's one less mouth to feed and my brothers don't even like to be seen with me anyways. The only thing I'd regret leaving would be..."

"Me."

"Yah...can you promise me something?"

"Of course."

"If I get chosen will you keep living your life? Don't mourn me, keep hunting, stay close to Prim, and just...don't change your life because I'm gone."

"But you won't be! If you get chosen I know you'll win and you'll come back and then you'll be rich and living in a nice house and then after a few years we'll get married and be happy because we can!"

Peeta just stares blankly at me for a while; we've never talked about marriage before. I never thought it was appropriate, but now that we're talking about me losing him I can't think of anything but spending the rest of my life with him.

"Katniss...promise me. Please?"

He's basically asking that I don't try and remember him and hold on to him when he's gone, I can't do that, but I know it's what he wants so I say, "I promise I'll try."

He looks into my eyes and smiles a little bit, "Thank you. Now what do you think things would be like here if you were chosen?"

I pause for a long time because I know the answer's not a good one, especially since it's almost all I've been able to think about all day, "Bad. My family would have no food, your family would have no food..."

"Some one else could learn to hunt-"

"Who? Prim? You? Your brothers? You're all soft..." I see Peeta's eyes start to sadden, so I turn on my side and lift up his chin with my finger, "no, it's not a bad thing, I love that you're able to be so naive, so happy in a world like this. It's one of the things I like so much about you." I don't usually tell Peeta how much I care about him, or what exactly it is that makes me like him...no, love him, I've never told him that either...but I figured in this moment it wouldn't be bad to say at least one of those things.

I lay my head back on his chest, and he sighs, "Hmmm...I wish this moment never had to end, that we could just stay here like this forever."

"Maybe we can...someday," and then we just lay there like that in silence for a while thinking about the past, the present, the near future and the far future...if there is one for us.

**So that's the first chapter, please tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you all like this series so far. This is the end of the main story, but I might add another chapter later with random scenes and how they would be different if Katniss and Peeta "knew" each other before the reaping, or fell in love, whatever you want to call it.**

_Today's our first reaping. I have to admit that I'm a little nervous, even though I would never admit that to Peeta. My name's in the bowl four times so that I can get tesserae for my family. I signed up all by myself, my mom probably won't even notice until she finds herself eating tesserae grains. _

_A week ago, when Peeta and I went to go sign up for the tesserae I was actually pretty excited since now our families will have some grain to go with our meat and vegetables, and Peeta was trying to act tough since he knows this is the most he can do when it comes to food for our families, but I could tell that he was starting to think twice about signing up, which I don't blame him for, I wish he wouldn't have to sign up at all, I mean he has two older brothers, but they refuse to put their "valuable" lives in danger, so it's up to 12 year old Peeta and I._

_A few minutes before it's time for the reaping the Mellarks show up at our house and I notice that Peeta is already sweating buckets from nerves, so I run up to give him a hug and whisper, "Don't worry Peeta," into his ear._

_He holds on to me for dear life and replies, "I'll try Katniss."_

_Once we get to the town square Peeta's brothers go to the 16 year old and 14 year old sections while Peeta and I head up to the very front where the other 12 year olds are standing. Once we pass the 14 year old section I feel some one watching me, so I look and make eye contact with the Baker's boy. Does he despise me for taking his garbage all those years ago? Or is it pity? I can't tell from his expression…_

_Nobody I knew was reaped that year._

Present Day

I slowly open my eyes, and then immediately turn to see if Prim is still sleeping next to me, which she is, so I visibly relax and then realize that I should probably go hunt a bit, so that we have more food for the feast tonight, since yesterday's food is already almost all gone. So I push myself up with a groan, put on my hunting clothes, also known as my only clothes, grab my hunting bag and head out the door.

I don't expect anybody to be outside my door, so when there's someone there I react so fast that before I realize what I've done I notice Peeta lying on the ground, after being hit in the head with my hunting bag that still has a full grown turkey in it.

"Peeta what in the world do you think you're doing here?"

"Trying to be nice and spend some time with you before the reaping today. A "Thank you Peeta" might have worked a little better," he grumbles, rubbing his head and still lying on the ground.

"I'm sorry, but you think that after so many years you'd know by now that you can't just sneak up on me like that," I scorn as I pull him up onto his feet.

"I wasn't sneaking up on you. I was just about to knock on the door like a normal person, but you're too fast for me," he pauses and notices my hunting bag for the first time, "Katniss, are you going hunting?"

"Yes, and it won't exhaust me Peeta, besides it's not like we're very active when we're pinned up like pigs with 10 other 16 year olds."

"Kat- "

"Peeta, we need food for the feast tonight."

"Fine, but I want to spend as much time as I can with you today, so I'm coming with."

I grumble and then give in. I guess we'll just be having more greens than meat tonight…

I've brought Peeta to the woods a few times in the past, so when we get to the fence he knows the basic stuff, like where the weak point in the fence is and how to get to my weapons stash. Once I'm all decked out in lethal weapons we start to walk to find some plants, well Peeta thinks we're hunting…how he keeps thinking I'll catch something with his noisy feet around I don't know.

"So I thought you weren't worried about today; why the sudden need for Katniss time?" I question him.

"Well…I thought about what you said yesterday and how worried you were, and well…the more I thought about it the more I started to feel like there is something different about this year."

"Really? You can feel that?"

"If you were more intuitive I'm sure you'd feel it too. I mean your subconscious is obviously feeling it, if all you did yesterday was think about the reaping."

"Well…I guess…maybe…" Peeta always understands stuff like that more than me. I hunt and he thinks; we're the perfect team.

After a few hours we're back at the spot where I keep my weapons with a bag full of different plants and vegetables, and the turkey of course. Then we part at the fence and don't see each other again until we're huddled into the pens that night at the reaping.

I start looking every where for Peeta as I stand in the metal "pen" designated for 16 year olds, hoping that he'll show up soon. I notice a girl from school, or more specifically Madge, the Mayor's daughter. I've never really talked to her before except for the few times when I needed a pencil or something in class and I would ask her for one (since Peeta's were always used until he absolutely couldn't write with them anymore), but when Peeta and I are eating lunch, I notice that she is sitting alone, which is a lot. Although, I've seen her eating with The Baker's boy, Gale, a few times when the older kids eat with us. I'm not sure if there's anything going on between them, or if they're just friends since they both live in town, but that's there business, not mine. Thankfully, just as Madge starts to recognize that someone is staring at her, Peeta comes up behind me.

"Nervous?"

"What took you so long?"

"Oh so you were nervous, but for a different reason," he gives me a cocky smile.

"Oh stop it."

"Come on. You know I get like this when I'm nervous."

"What? Over flirtatious?"

"Ooh flirtatious, I like that word," he teases and winks at me. In reply I just roll my eyes at his silliness, and then he grabs my hand and we both turn to watch the opening of the reaping.

Everyone is laughing when Haymitch falls, and Peeta rolls his eyes, but as soon as Effie Trinket say the magic words, "Ladies first!" Everyone goes quiet.

I don't realize my legs are shaking until Peeta switches his hands so that his left is now holding my hand awkwardly, and his right is on my shoulder to stabilize me.

"Primrose Everdeen!"

It's a good thing Peeta is stabilizing me, or else I would have fallen at that point. Prim! I hadn't even thought much about it being her first reaping, what with Peeta and I worrying ourselves so much about this being a different reaping, but boy were we right. Yes, Prim had to get her name in the bowl 4 times, we needed the extra food, since I can only get so much for two families with only one of me, but still, what's 4 to the 20 or so times my name is in that bowl? I should be walking up onto that stage. "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" I scream as I'm running through the stream of people to get to the stage before Prim. I faintly hear Peeta scream my name, and Effie stutter something, and Prim yelling at me, but I don't fully take any of it in. Right now I'm just worried about keeping Prim off that stage. Then I realize that Peeta has stepped up to pull Prim away, and I silently thank him by staring into his sad eyes; in return he gives me a quick peck on my lips and turns around to direct Prim back to her "pen."

As soon I take my place on stage Effie gets back into character and calls out the boy tribute's name… "Peeta Mellark!"

I feel like I'm about to faint, but instead I immediately direct my eyes to face the area where Peeta is helping Prim. He freezes in mid-motion and Prim begins to scream again, while pulling on Peeta's arm as he mechanically walks up onto stage, with me.

Even in times of terror like this Peeta continues to surprise me, as he composes himself fast and puts on a smirk as he looks at me and says, "Now we'll have lots of alone time."

I told myself when I got up on stage after volunteering for Prim that I wouldn't show weakness, but knowing that Peeta is trying so hard to do the same thing breaks me and I plunge into him and hug him like he might die some time soon, which he most likely will…

**And you know the rest! Except I'm guessing the romance would probably be a little upped in the games. I know a lot of this started to seem like I was just repeating what Suzanne Collins wrote except just a little differently, but no plagiarism was meant, and I hope you guys still liked it! Please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Upon request, I started with a snippet of AU Gale watching the games and I decided to put it in third person. This'll be a big experiment because I've never done Gale before, but here it goes!**

**I also want to thank EVERY ONE of who you who have been reviewing this story. It helps me know what you think and want for this story, just like how TacoBelle wanted more about AU Gale, and she got it! Thanks everyone! Now on to the good stuff!**

**AU Gale**

Gale sits with his family, which consists of him, his mom and his father, in the lobby of the bakery, where they usually bring the TV to watch it during the games. He's never really been one to watch the Hunger Games seriously and would usually just sit back and day dream of better things to do, but this year is different, and it has to do with that Seam girl.

Gale's been a big hot shot with all of the town girls, and tends to go on dates when ever he has a little extra money and time. He's also attracted a lot of Seam girls, but Gale never goes for them, not because he thinks that he's better than them, but because why would he go out with a dark haired girl who's barely fed when he can get a blonde from a decent family? Although, Gale forgets to ask himself this as he watches with his eyes glued to the screen as the Seam girl finishes her interview and "that boy" who never stops following her gets up to take his turn.

**In the Capitol (Katniss POV)**

I let out a deep breath as I walk back to my seat, thankful that probably the most nerve racking moment of my life, which won't be much longer, is over. I pass Peeta as he starts to move to the podium to talk to Caesar Flickerman and he reaches out and squeezes my hand, which I know is his way of telling me I did a good job, but in his eyes I also see that he's also really nervous, which is understandable, since the only people he's ever really talked to are my family, his and a few of our neighbors. Peeta's good at speaking to people once he gets past his nervous beginnings, but it generally takes a while, and this time includes millions of people, so I give him a smile to wish him good luck and then I sit down.

Our exchange is only a few seconds long, but once I turn around I notice that Caesar has a happy smirk on his face and I begin to wonder what that means for what he's going to ask Peeta, or if his smirk has anything to do with our little exchange. I suppose it could because it's very rare that two tributes are even on speaking terms with each other, much less dating! No, I'm pretty sure this is a first in the Games.

"So…Peeta. Would you care to explain to everybody what exactly it is you and Katniss have going on? We all remember seeing your guys' emotional hug at the reaping."

"Oh that, well…" Peeta starts to scratch the back of his head and I immediately start to hope that he gets his bearings together soon, or this could probably turn very bad for us. Then suddenly Peeta puts his arm down and puts on a proud, and semi-smirkish face. "What you didn't know Caesar? I thought it was pretty obvious."

"What?"

"That Katniss and I are in love," at this the whole audience either gasps or 'awes,' Oh they seem to like it. Haymitch can't stand us always showing our affection, holding hands or occasionally kissing each other in front of him just to spite him."

Caesar starts to laugh, while the camera pans to Haymitch as he shakes his head back and forth. It makes me smile, and keeps my mind off of the uneasiness in my stomach at hearing Peeta tell the whole of Panem those special words I almost told him in the Meadow.

When the camera's back on Peeta and Caesar, Caesar asks, "What do you think will happen between you two in the Games?"

This seems to bring Peeta's mood down dramatically, and when he replies it's in a very deep and monotone voice, "I'm not sure…but whatever does happen, I know we'll be in it together until the end." Just in time, the buzzer goes off.

As all of us tributes are directed back into the Training Center, I think about how good of a job Peeta did. He turned our proclamation of love into showing every body that we were already a set alliance; well at least I hope that's a good thing. I'm also starting to hope that the other tributes will just begin to think of us as love sick birds that are too worried about each other to even cause trouble, and then we'll have the upper hand…or am I wrong?

**AU Gale**

Gale doesn't know why he can't move when his father says it's time to eat, or why he continues to stare at the TV even though it's now off. All he does know is that for some reason, officially knowing, even though it was pretty obvious, that the Seam girl and boy are in love bothers him. He's never thought this much about a girl from the Seam before. It's not her looks, since even though she's on the higher scale of attractiveness she still looks like every other Seam girl and has dark brown hair. No, it has more to do with this "vibe" she seems to give off. He sensed that she has a deeper side than is shown when she's with lover boy when he saw her at school the other day, and that's what led him to want to talk to her, even if it was a really stupid conversation.

He also knows that she's coming home, which means there will be no more "Seam boy." Gale is back in the game.

**On the roof (Katniss POV)**

"Can you believe that tomorrow we'll be fighting for our lives?" I ask Peeta as we're lying down together in the garden with my head resting on his shoulder and his hand plays with my hair, which is currently out of its braid due to Peeta's request.

"You've always been fighting for our lives."

"This is different Peeta, and you know it. We'll both be fighting, together this time."

"Untrue. You're still an awesome warrior and I'm still more useless than a donkey."

"Peeta that is not true you can…gather plants."

"Only since you taught me which plants to pick, and I still need you most of the time to remind me."

"Stop it Peeta. If I come across an…accident…then you're winning, and to do that you need confidence."

Peeta puts a finger to my lips. "But you won't come across an accident, so who will win then?"

"You still."

Peeta laughs at this then says, "Don't you remember our conversation in the Meadow? Who did we decide was more important, more valuable?"

I give up the fight at this. No matter how much I want Peeta to survive, the truth will always be that our families would starve without me…not him, but my heart might starve without him.

**About half way through this chapter I came to a dark conclusion of what would probably happen if Katniss and Peeta were an alliance the entire games. It's shocking!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I didn't put any AU Gale POVs in this chapter, but I may or may not use him in the next one. He comes in handy when necessary.**

**Note: I'm SO sorry. It took me like a week and a half to write this because I had the want to write, and then I lost it, and then I had and then I lost it…anyways, here it is.**

**Ps. The beginning of this kind of written like how this section is written in the book.**

Sixty seconds. That's how much time we get to sit on our platforms that are waiting to explode under our feet. That's how much time it takes for me to see the bow and arrows on the ground next to the cornucopia. That's also how much time it takes for me to make eye contact with Peeta and see his plan speaking in his eyes, and its saying, "Run like crazy for the forest."

The bell rings and I quickly start to run towards the area of the forest that Peeta indicated with his eyes. I really hope he makes it, but I don't allow myself to look back. A split second of stopping my concentration on moving forward could mean my life, and then, most likely, Peeta's too, so I keep running until I'm safely behind a bush just outside of the clearing where the blood bath is taking place, and then and ONLY then do I allow myself to turn around and scan for Peeta. I don't see him. He could be anywhere, Dead or Alive.

"You know for someone so set on survival I really thought you would have gone farther into the woods before looking for me; good thing I turned back."

He startled me so bad that if my instincts weren't so attuned to him that I probably would have knocked him out before even realizing he was there. He shouldn't have been able to startle me, was I watching the blood bath that closely, or am I a worse hunter than I thought? "Peeta, what are you doing here? Run! Hurry! Go!"

I start to push him along as he starts to protest by saying things like "You were the one standing there!" but I don't care, about anything, until we're both safely far away from this miniature war.

It's been a few days now, or so I think, but after trying to keep track for a while I've just given up. Peeta and I are sitting about one fourth of the way up a big oak tree. It's an easy tree to climb if any of the other remaining three tributes decide to join us, but I'd only taught Peeta a little bit about climbing trees, so it was this or the ground.

The other three that are left are the tough boy tribute from 2; I think his name is Cato, and then the huge boy from 11 and Rue, the little girl that's twelve years old from 11. I know a twelve year old has won the Games once before, but I'm still shocked by how long she's lasted. I haven't even seen her anywhere in the arena the whole time I've been here. That goes for the boy from her district as well, I wonder if they're hiding out together? It sure would explain how Rue is still alive. If they are, I wonder what they plan on doing when it's just the two of them left. I wonder if the boy, whose name I actually think is Thresh, will sacrifice his life for Rue's. That's what I'd do, and then I look at Peeta. That's what I want to do.

"Peeta?" We're lying on a thick branch together with our backs against the trunk of the tree and Peeta's arm around my shoulders.

"Shhh," he puts a finger to my lips.

In return I whisper, "Cato's no where near here."

He continues to whisper too, "You don't know that, and besides do you want to alert him to our location?"

"I want time with you is what I want, Peeta!" It's still a whisper, but I'm slowly getting louder than I should be.

"Katniss, you have time with me."

"Not much longer…" I hate that all of our conversations lately are about losing each other, or about who's more useless than the other, so I decide to change the conversation that if…I have to think if because I won't even think of when…I lose Peeta I have a better memory of him than just him telling me that he's useless and I'm important. "Peeta?"

"Hmmm?"

"If you could of chosen, would you have chosen to grow up in Town?"

"No way."

"What? Why? You'd probably have been fed better and have had lots of friends, not just me."

"That's just it."

"What is?"

"The food I would have ate wouldn't have been ummm… 'found' by you, and you wouldn't have been my friend," I mentally smile at his cover up of my hunting abilities. That wouldn't have been a very good thing to broadcast on live television.

"You probably wouldn't have been in this stupid game right now, risking your life."

"But I'm in this stupid game risking my life with _you."_

"Stop that."

"What?"

"All that stupid talk of how I'm worth dying for and stuff. I think the hunger's getting to you more than usual. Uh! I wish I had a weapon."

"If I grew up in town I wouldn't have been able to do this," then he closes the small space between us and kisses me lightly and deeply all at the same time. I start to push my body against Peeta, wanting to put all I have into this moment, but then I suddenly remember where we are. Up in a tree without much room to "get closer" and not just a tree, but a tree in the Hunger Games where millions of people are most likely watching us at this very moment. By picturing my mom's embarrassed face, or Peeta's mom's agitated and unapproving scowl, I'm finally able to pull away, but with much difficulty.

Peeta giggles a bit and then says, "Yah, I don't regret the way my life's gone at all."

I still want to make Peeta see reality, but I don't get the chance because a second later we hear crashing coming from all around us. I have no idea what to do. We have no weapon and it makes me feel useless. I don't even know how we lasted this long without one. Seconds later Thresh and Cato come crashing through the very little clearing just at the bottom of our tree. I start to push Peeta further up the tree, but then he grabs my hand and doesn't allow me to move and I know what he's trying to say without speaking, "They're so concentrated on themselves that they don't see us, so don't give them a reason to look."

It may be one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I sit there stalk still holding onto Peeta's hand, not fleeing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not usually a fleer, but when survival depends on leaving, like you have no weapon and there's two guys that weigh three times as much as you do that are just a few feet below you, then I get out of there, but I know Peeta's right, so I sit still.

After what seems like an hour of watching the two boys bashing each other against trees, it finally comes to an end. Thresh is just about to pound Cato's head against a tree trunk, when Cato ducks down real quick, grabs a knife that's lying on the ground and stabs it into Thresh's heart.

I'm frozen in place for a few more minutes after the fighting ends and Cato has left, until I feel Peeta poking me because we need to get out of here too before the helicopter can come and pick up Thresh's body.

As we're about to leave the small clearing I look to see a medium sized knife on Thresh's belt, a small one half way across the clearing, and of course the jagged one rammed into Thresh's heart. Before Peeta can stop me I'm running back at the body and grab the knife from his belt. I'm struggling at trying to pry the jagged knife from Thresh's body because any weapon is a means of survival right now and I'll take which ever one I can find, when a small figure jumps out of a tree on the other side of the clearing I immediately form my hunter's defensive crouch, until I realize what she's holding. My bow and arrows. "Where did you get those?"

"I watched Thresh kill a girl who had them, and I took them before the helicopter took her. I don't know how to use them though," she replies in a very innocent voice.

"I'll trade you, the bow and arrows for my knives?"

"What, so you can kill me from a far range?"

"No. I-The truth is…I can't kill you," I can feel Peeta giving me a question look from behind me, but it's the truth, she reminds me too much of my sister Prim. I could never kill a twelve year old. Then I remember something she said, "You said you were watching Thresh, were you his ally?"

"No…I just-I've seen him around district 11 and I wanted to feel like I had somebody here."

"You have us," the girl starts to tense up. I know she's trying to figure out how she can trust us, I don't blame her.

"Katniss-" before Peeta can say anymore I turn towards him.

"We can't just let her be Peeta! Cato's out there! He could kill her! Wait, that's it!" I turn back towards the girl, "come with us, be our ally until we kill Cato, then after that we'll…well we'll figure out something when that time comes, but all I know is that out of everybody left Cato is the only one I don't want to win."

I can see the start of a smile on her face, "Ok. My name is Rue." Hm, I was right about her name. Then she holds out her little hand to me, and I shake it, we're a team now. Although, at the exact moment our hands meet I give her a reassuring smile, but Rue is staring at Peeta.

"Don't worry about him, he couldn't hurt a fly, especially if I tell him not to," at this Rue looks up to me and smiles. "Rue, my name is Katniss and this is Peeta, and together we're going to take down Cato."

**I ended this a little sooner than I meant to, but this way I can FINALLY get up a story for you guys, and I have more for another chapter now. **

**Note: I also changed the rating of this story to T because I realized that anything involving the Hunger Games really do need to be rated Teen.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks everyone for sticking with me and not getting too annoyed by my editing spree yesterday, although those of you who just wanted a new chapter I totally agree! Ok, one last thanks to JezTheMockingjay74 for being my new second pair of eyes to watch for any mistakes I make. Thanks again to everyone and enjoy!**

Our plan is to get Cato into the open area by the cornucopia by putting something that he wants there out in the open, and I will be hiding with the bow and arrows in the cornucopia, waiting for him, and when he shows up I shoot him. The only problem is that we have no idea what to use to bate him in. "Any ideas?"

Peeta just solemnly shakes his head and Rue sits there thinking, until her head shoots up, "What about food? Don't the Careers usually depend on food supplies?"

"We've barely got enough for ourselves, and besides he's still got all of the food from the cornucopia hidden some where. I'm sure of it."

"One of us."

My head darts to Peeta, "What?"

"You said we have to put something out there that he wants, correct?"

"Yes."

"What he wants is one of us in range to kill."

"I'll do it," my face now darts to where Rue's little voice came from, "One of you are going to win anyways, I want one of you to win, not me."

Peeta looks at me with an expression that says 'I'm not the only one who's making sure you win'. I roll my eyes at him and turn back to Rue. "You can do it Rue because Cato thinks you're by yourself. If he saw either of us he'd know the other wasn't far away and would know it's a trap, but NOBODY, I repeat, NOBODY is sacrificing themselves. I'll get Cato before he can even think of killing you, Rue."

A few moments later we are all now standing in the clearing by the cornucopia and I'm helping Rue build a fire to attract Cato's attention. As the fire is starting to burn I direct Peeta to go hide in a few bushes off the side of the clearing, then I run in to the cornucopia and position myself so that I'm ready whenever Cato decides to show up.

It's been at least a few hours since we got into position and I'm starting to daze off when I hear Rue starting to hum, which is our signal for "I think he's coming." I strain my ear to hear and I eventually pick up the sound of grass and leaves being moved and trampled, but they're not coming from the forest area in front of the opening of the cornucopia, but from the drop off ledge located behind my hiding place.

I need to think quickly about what to do before Cato gets the chance to harm Rue. I have no idea if he's made it to the top of the ledge yet, since I can't see that area without revealing at least my head from the safety of the cornucopia.

I see Rue's eyes bulge out; I have to do this now or she might die. I quickly whip around the corner of the cornucopia, just as Cato is flinging a knife. Rue isn't moving because she thinks I'm going to save her, and she hasn't looked in the direction of Cato because I told her to act like she doesn't notice him, and to pretend to be an easy kill. In the end, she is.

"RUE!" in that split second I turn to see the knife hit her in the side of her neck. Cato's not the one who really killed Rue, it's me. I killed Rue. If I hadn't brought her in to this, let her be bate, and told her to stand still she might have won this thing, but she can't now. No, now she's probably watching the miniature movie of her life flash before her eyes, just like the recap of the games the Capitol has at the end that they make the victor watch. I barely knew Rue, but I know I'll never forget her.

Cato decides to take me from my thoughts, which I'm really fine with, except that he does it by throwing a knife into my side. How could I have been so stupid as to turn my back on the enemy? Oh well, I suppose I deserve this for being the reason Rue died. As I fall onto my knees and then eventually my unharmed side I realize that death doesn't seem that bad. I hear commotion around me, but I don't really care, it's nice and relaxing in my little world. The recap of my life never comes, perhaps I was wrong about that, or maybe I just have to wait a little longer. You can't rush death; it's such a delicate thing.

I'm just about to close my eyes, to let the darkness take me when, "AHHHH!" I shoot straight up from the agony and am now sitting up and staring at the face of Peeta.

"Katniss what were you thinking? You almost died!" he inspects my cut, which he has just pulled the knife out of, "No, you're going to. You need professional help and I'm going to get it for you," he quickly grabs the knife that almost ended my life and is starting to push it towards himself.

"Peeta, no! You can't! Stop!" I'm holding his hand as hard as I can, trying my hardest to save him from himself.

"Katniss, You know I want you to win this, although I was hoping we'd have some time together at the end before I have to die, but you need medical help immediately, so I have to say good-bye now…"

"No. Just wait, a little while, please?" or just long enough for me to black out from my injury and to allow Peeta to win, now that the others are all dead. Wait. I almost turned my attention away from the enemy again, "Wait. Peeta, where's Cato?" I start looking for him frantically by moving my head in all directions, thankful that I can move this body part even though the rest of my body aches incredibly.

"Shhh…" he does that thing again where he puts a finger to my lips, "he's gone."

"But he could come back at any moment!"

"No he can't."

"I don't want him to win Peeta! You need to be the one to go home and take care of our families now that you'll have lots of money and food supplies."

"He won't win."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he's dead."

I'm frozen in time. What did Peeta just say? The only way Cato could be died would be if- "H-How?"

At this, his face falls, not with a sad expression, but more with a remembering and thinking look with a bit of agony in it as well, "I…He…He was going to kill you-almost did, and I just-just needed to protect you. Just like how you always protect me." Peeta killed for me. He killed a human being. I know it's not the most romantic gesture, but it's just like he gave away all of his innocence just so that he can talk to me for a little bit before I die, well at least I know that's the reality side of it, even though Peeta thinks he killed so that I can continue on with my life…without him.

He should know by now that I can't live a life without him by my side. I'd probably become crazy and depressed and try to commit suicide almost every day…that's when I get an idea. "Knife," I manage to say as the pain from my cut is getting worse.

"Oh no. I told you Katniss, I'm going, not you. You're going home."

"No…do it," it's getting harder and harder to speak. If I don't make Peeta realize what I'm trying to do quickly then he'll be stuck without me. I don't think either of us could make it without the other.

"Do what?"

"Cut…you…non-lethally…die…with me."

Peeta now understands, and seems to agree with me on the fact that we should always be together, dead or alive. He brings me down gently and I cuddle up against him as much as a person in great pain can, and once I'm situated he starts to bring down the knife, but his hand is shaking, so I decide to remember an important part because if we don't die at the same time they'll just save which ever one of us is still alive. "Remember…not an instant kill…"

"Don't worry Katniss…" he kisses my forehead and then continues to bring the knife down towards the spot right above his heart, so he won't die instantly, but he'll die soon.

The last thing I remember is watching Peeta starting to breathe heavily from the pain, and then my eyes flicker…and the world goes black.

**MUAHAHAHA! I'm evil, although I must admit that I am shaking incredibly after writing that ending. It scared me…still is. So…who's the victor? Is there going to be one? Find out in the conclusion to this story that's known as Chapter 6!**


	6. Chapter 6

**It all ends here. Also…don't read any further if you haven't read chapter 5 yet.**

**AU Gale**

The games have just ended and Gale is freaking out. Is she coming home? Is he coming home? Are neither of them coming home? The cameras cut out of the arena and went to an announcer right after Peeta and Katniss' gruesome display of affection. Now Gale sits in the lobby of the bakery staring at the TV screen. What did she think was going to come out of her trying to commit suicide? That they'd both be able to come back? Yah right. That's never happened in a games and it never will. If, no when she comes back Gale is going to give her a piece of his mind and question her as to what she thought she was doing trying to kill herself when she's supposed to be coming home to him? Well…maybe not because there is one little flaw in that plan, she doesn't care what he thinks, and there's the fact that she isn't exactly coming home for him anyways, why would she? He's just the Baker's boy.

**Katniss POV (Capitol, underground hospital)**

I sit up really fast, gasping for air. Where am I? Everything around me is white, white bed, which I'm lying in, white machines, which are hooked up to me, and white floors and walls, but no white door. I'm trapped in here and I start hyperventilating. I can't be trapped here, I need to find Peeta, and then I remember what happened in the arena. I should be dead, why am I not dead?

I was supposed to die so that I could go be with Peeta wherever it is you go when you die…unless Peeta is alive too. At this thought I start to move my legs to the side of the side of the bed and pull the white sheets off me.

"Lay back down sweetheart." It's Haymitch; I'd recognize his voice anywhere.

"I'm not doing anything except finding Peeta! Where's Peeta, Haymitch?" my voice is starting to get higher and more squeaky, until I finally screech out, "WHERE IS HE?" Tears are starting to come to my eyes and I'm afraid that if I don't see or hear that Peeta's alive soon I might just lose it all in this white room, where I'm most likely being watched through a camera in some control room. "Haymitch…please."

It seems like forever that I sit there on the edge of the bed, in my paper hospital gown, with half of the sheets off of me, when a section of the wall slides open and Haymitch walks in. My head shoots up and I stare at him, waiting for him to say something to cheer me up. He looks fairly uncomfortable, but he finally starts to speak, looking me in the eye, "You really should get some sleep, then we can talk later."

"I won't be able to sleep without knowing."

"Well things don't always go the way you want them to."

"But-but…"

Haymitch's eyes start to avoid mine. "He's dead."

"WHAT? NO! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO WORK!"Then, since I'm starting to choke on my own tears I say almost in a whisper, "we were supposed to die at the same time."

"The boy's hand was shaking so much he hit himself directly in the heart and died almost instantly, and it was at the same time that you blacked out. You're lucky the doctors got to you right away. Five more minutes and you would have been dead."

"I'm not lucky. I don't have him now. I want to be the dead one!"

"What do you think Peeta would say if he heard that you wanted to kill yourself because he's dead, and just throw away everything?"

Then I remember what Peeta _did _say to me, back in the meadow…

"_Can you promise me something Katniss?"_

_"Of course."_

_"If I get chosen will you keep living your life? Don't mourn me, keep hunting, stay close to Prim, and just...don't change your life because I'm gone."_

_"But you won't be! If you get chosen I know you'll win and you'll come back and then you'll be rich and living in a nice house and then after a few years we'll get married and be happy because we can!"_

_"Katniss...promise me. Please?"_

_"I promise I'll try."_

Now that he's actually gone it seems much harder to keep my promise. All I want to do is crawl under my blankets and shut out the world. My reply to him back then sounds pretty foolish now because I'm the one who will now be living in a big house and will be rich. Lucky me.

Although, part of my promise to Peeta was that I would need to keep hunting and taking care of my family, but we'll get food supplies on a regular basis now, so let the Capitol take care of them and give me my time to mourn.

It's been a week since I first woke up in the hospital and heard of Peeta's fate. Right now I am standing in my room on the District Twelve level of the Training Center building. Tonight's the first night that Panem will get to see me since the end of the games, so Cinna is dressing me up in a wonderful light blue gown that is comfortable enough to sit in for hours while I watch the recap of the games, but is also Capitol-level fashionable. Cinna can do it all…well except for cheer me up right now, which he's trying so hard at; it's just an impossible task.

When Effie knocks on my door, telling us it's time to go, Cinna leaves to go to his seat in the audience and Effie and Haymitch lead my to the launch area set up under the stage. Every year the Victor enters on this same platform. It reminds me of the platform that led me up into the arena at the start of the games, but once I start to think about it I quickly switches my thoughts, since thinking about keeping a smile on my face is much safer than thinking about the games, which always eventually leads to thinking about him.

When it's almost time for the show to start, Haymitch turns to me, squeezes my hand and says, "Good luck sweetheart," and then I'm rising up from the darkness of under the stage to the bright flashing lights of the Capitol main square.

"I give you the 74th Hunger Game's victor, Katniss Everdeen!" It's Caesar Flickerman, and after his announcement of me there's so much cheering that they can probably hear it back in District 12, but all I hear is a muffled sound.

After Caesar talks about how interesting and different this year's games were it's time to watch the worst few weeks of my life as if they were a home movie. Once I'm situated on the victor's throne they role the movie. It's worse than I thought, not because of the gore, no I could take that more than what was showing, a love story. There is never more than five minutes of film without some shot of Peeta and I, from Peeta revealing our relationship at the interviews, to our team up after the cornucopia and our time alone in the tree before the whole thing came to an end…including my life.

I know Haymitch would probably tell me that I'm being over dramatic, but I doubt that he's ever felt the loss of someone so close to him before, so he can go screw a cat.

I'm now home, well as much home as this big new house can be to me, and I've been here for about two weeks now, so it's been three weeks since the games' recap and four weeks since the end of the games. In that time I've been marking the hours that I've spent with out him by making slashes in a journal, which comes to 672 slashes. I just stay in my too-big-for-me bed in my too-big-for-me room in my too-big-for-my-family house, no matter how hard my mom tries to get me to eat with the family, or go for a walk, or even just change clothes. It should seem foolish to me that now my mother, who spent my whole childhood moping, is the strong one now, while I can't even get up to change out of the clothes Cinna put me in for the welcome back banquet. It's surprising how comfy a ball gown can be.

It's these thoughts that are going through my head when my mother interrupts my quiet moping by knocking on my door.

"What do you want?"

"Honey, there's someone here to see you."

"Who?"

"A boy from school."

I start to get excited. I know it's not possible for it to be Peeta, but I can't help but hope that it is and that my mother is joking with me just to pain me right now instead of just telling me he's here and that everything is ok.

"What's he look like?"

"Dark black hair and grey eyes, kind of like your father," she says in a knowing, but also sad tone, maybe she still isn't over my dad, but I only think about this for a little bit because I'm so overwhelmed with my own sadness about her not saying "blonde curly hair and blue eyes" and annoyance at myself for being so stupid as to hope. I saw him die. In my arms.

"I don't want to see him. I don't care who he is. I don't want to see anyone. Including you. Leave," I don't care if I hurt her feelings, she deserves to feel as bad as I do, so I just simply turn over to my other side in my bed, so that my back is facing away from my mother as I hear her shut the door.

Good riddance, now I can sulk in peace, and as this thought comes to my mind, a small tear drop begins to slip down my cheek.

**I know it's probably not one of the best endings because Katniss was so darn needy and sulky and sad and it leaves so much more to work with, but that's the point because….SURPRISE! I'm writing a sequel to this story, but I can't decide on a name, so I was hoping you guys could please go on to my profile and vote for a title in the poll I created. The choices of titles should also give you a little insight into what the main focus of the sequel will be so I won't tell you much except for the fact that you'll be seeing a LOT more of AU Gale! (But it won't be a Hawtniss story, don't worry I can't even picture them together except for maybe a one night stand, but that's just my thoughts. ) So you'll hopefully see this new story pretty soon, but I've been pretty busy at work lately, as in I've actually been scheduled to work, so hopefully I'll be able to get started soon. **


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